Pwovèb 25
1 Sila yo se pwovèb yo a Salomon ke mesye Ézéchias yo, wa Juda a te dechifre.
Here are more wise sayings/words that Solomon [wrote]. Some men who worked for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, copied them [from a scroll that Solomon had written].
2 Se glwa Bondye pou kache yon bagay; men se glwa a wa yo pou chache konprann yon bagay.
[We consider] God to be great because he (acts in mysterious ways/does things that we cannot understand); [we consider] kings to be great because they explain things.
3 Tankou syèl la nan wotè a, ak tè a nan pwofondè a, se konsa kè a wa a ensondab.
[It is not possible for anyone to measure] how high the sky is or how deep the earth/ocean is; likewise [SIM], it is not possible for us to know [all] that kings are thinking.
4 Retire vye kras sou ajan k ap fonn nan, e va sòti metal pi pou òfèv la.
[If workers] burn out the impure bits that are in silver, a man who makes things from silver can make something beautiful from the silver.
5 Retire mechan an devan wa a, e twòn li an va etabli nan ladwati.
[Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
6 Pa reklame bèl repitasyon nan prezans a wa a, e pa kanpe nan plas a moun pwisan yo;
When you stand in front of a king, do not try to (impress him/honor yourself) and do not (act like you are important/ask to sit where important people sit; )
7 paske li pi bon pou yo di ou: “Vin monte isit la”, olye pou ou ta oblije desann piba nan prezans a prens lan, ke zye ou te wè.
it is better if someone tells you to sit closer [to the king] than for [someone to tell you], while the king is listening, to sit further away in order that someone who is more important [may sit closer to the king].
8 Pa fè vit lantre nan tribinal pou diskite ka ou; anfen, sa ou va fè lè vwazen ou fè ou desann nèt.
Do not quickly go to a court [to tell the judge about] something that you have seen, because another witness may later [say something that proves that you are wrong, and as a result] you will be disgraced/ashamed. If that happens, (what will you do?/you will not know what to do.) [RHQ]
9 Diskite pwòp ka pa ou devan vwazen ou, e pa devwale sekrè a yon lòt,
If you and someone else think differently about some matter, settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret [that he has told you].
10 oswa sila ki tande ou a, va fè ou repwòch, e move rapò sou ou menm p ap janm disparèt.
If others find out that you have told secrets, you will be ashamed, and from that time on, (you will have a bad reputation/people will think badly about you).
11 Tankou pòm an lò ki monte sou ajan, se konsa yon mo byen plase nan moman li.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Tankou yon zanno an lò ak yon dekorasyon an lò fen se yon repwòch saj nan zòrèy k ap koute.
When a wise person rebukes/warns someone [SYN] who is willing to listen, that is [as valuable as] [SIM] a gold ring or a gold chain.
13 Tankou fredi lanèj nan lè rekòlt, se konsa yon mesaje fidèl ye a sila ki voye l yo, paske li rafrechi nanm a mèt li yo.
A messenger who (is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say) refreshes [the spirits of] his bosses who sent him like [SIM] (snow/cold water) refreshes [the ground] at the time that [people] harvest crops.
14 Tankou nwaj ak van san lapli, se konsa yon nonm ki ogmante don li yo ak manti.
When someone promises to give a gift to us but never gives it, [that disappoints us] as much as [SIM] clouds and wind that come but do not bring any rain.
15 Ak pasyans, yon chèf ka vin pèswade; se yon lang dous ki kase zo.
If someone keeps requesting a ruler long enough to do something, he will [often] agree to do it; similarly, by speaking [MTY] gently we can [often] convince [others that what we say is right] [IDM].
16 Èske ou te jwenn siwo myèl? Manje sèlman kont ou, pou ou pa gen twòp pou vomi li.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Kite pye ou raman pile lakay vwazen ou, sinon li va fatige avè w, e vin rayi ou.
Do not go to your neighbor’s house very often [to talk with him]; if you go [very] often, he will get tired of listening to you and start to hate you.
18 Tankou gwo baton, nepe, oswa flèch file, se konsa yon nonm ki pote fo temwen kont vwazen li.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Tankou yon move dan ak yon pye ki pa estab, se konsa konfyans nan yon nonm enfidèl nan tan gwo twoub.
Depending on unreliable people when you have troubles is [as bad] as [trying to eat when] you have a bad/hurting tooth or [trying to walk when] your foot is crippled.
20 Tankou yon moun ki retire rad li nan jou fredi, oswa tankou vinèg sou poud bikabonat, se konsa sila ki chante chan ak kè twouble yo ye.
Singing to someone who is depressed [just causes him to feel worse]; it is like [SIM] taking off clothes on a very cold day or like putting vinegar on a wound.
21 Si lènmi ou grangou, ba li manje; epi si li swaf, ba li dlo pou l bwè;
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 paske, ou va anpile chabon tou limen sou tèt li, e SENYÈ a va bay ou rekonpans.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 Van nò pote lapli e yon lang medizan, pote yon move vizaj.
When wind blows from the right direction, it will rain; [similarly] [SIM], if we gossip about others, that causes them to look at us very angrily.
24 Li pi bon pou viv nan yon kwen twati pase nan yon kay avèk yon fanm k ap fè kont tout tan.
It is better to live ([alone/by yourself]) in the corner of an attic/housetop than to live inside the house with a wife who is [always] nagging.
25 Tankou dlo frèt pou yon nanm fatige, se konsa yon bòn nouvèl ki sòti nan yon peyi lwen.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Tankou yon sous ki foule anba pye ak yon pwi kontamine, se konsa yon nonm dwat ki bay plas a mechan an.
When a righteous/good person (gives in/yields) to wicked [people], that is [as bad] as [SIM] a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 Li pa bon pou bwè anpil siwo myèl, ni li pa bon pou chache pwòp glwa pa w.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 Tankou yon gran vil ki kase antre san miray, se konsa yon nonm ki pa kontwole pwòp tèt li.
People who (cannot control their tempers/quickly become very angry) [are unable to defend their behavior]; that is like [having] a city without a wall around it, [with the result that no one can defend it].
